Ire Gene Grovner walks through remnants of the old slave's quarters at the Chocolate Plantation where his ancestors lived some eight generations ago on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Thursday, May 16, 2013 photo. Grovner is one of roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on Sapelo Island, the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Jonathan Wilson, 6, stands on the dock before boarding a ferry from his home in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. to the mainland to attend school on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

J.J. Wilson 9, rides a school bus to catch a ferry to the his school on the mainland from his home in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Eight children catch a ferry in the morning to attend school on the mainland since the last school operating on the island closed in 1978. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this May 15, 2013 photo, Stephen Wilson, 68, walks through the forest on his property where his home that his father built stands in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. "Dad built this house with his labor. Every time I put the key in the door coming home as a child, I remember saying, 'Hi, papa. Hi, mama.' It has a lot of remembrance." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A sticker celebrating the Geechee heritage is seen on a pickup truck as passengers board a ferry to the mainland on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Richard Dixon, 70, center, on a visit to his native Sapelo Island from Los Angeles, sits with Sapelo residents Julius Bailey, left, and Herman Dixon, right, after a church service on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. "Everyone feels like family here," says Richard Dixon, "I'll fight along with everyone else because this will always be my home." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Cathleen Hillary, 93, the oldest resident of Sapelo Island, Ga. leaves a church service with her great granddaughter Milaika Ellison, for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on the island on Sunday, June 9, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Annie Watts, 89, left, and Stephen Wilson, 68, talk after a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Wilson is one of roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Donna Smith, a resident from the mainland who came over by ferry to attend the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church, sings during the church's service on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Mary Bailey, left, puts a handkerchief in the suit pocket of her cousin, Marvin Grovner, 16, as they attend a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Grovner is one of 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on Sapelo Island, the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, otherwise known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than other African American communities in the U.S. Once freed, the slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on the island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development is endangering one of the last remaining Geechee communities from Florida to North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A parishioner exits a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, remain on Sapelo Island, the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, otherwise known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than other African American communities in the U.S. Once freed, the slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on the island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development is endangering one of the last remaining Geechee communities from Florida to North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Rev. Dr. Robert Brown, 89, left, and Eddie Wilson, 65, ride a ferry from the mainland to attend a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Annie Watts, center, waits with fellow passengers to board a ferry from the mainland to attend a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Delicia Ellison attends a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The sun rises behind St. Luke Baptist Church in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Friday, May 17, 2013. Roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, remain on the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, otherwise known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than other African American communities in the U.S. Once freed, the slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on the island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development is endangering one of the last remaining Geechee communities from Florida to North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A bull crosses the main road, known as the "Autobahn," on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Monday, June 10, 2013 photo, the sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga. Roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, remain on the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, otherwise known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than other African American communities in the U.S. Once freed, the slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on the island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development is endangering one of the last remaining Geechee communities from Florida to North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kyle Alexander, 20, left, plays cards with Kent Grovner, right, and fellow residents in The Trough, the only bar in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

J.J. Wilson 9, right, and Chris Bailey, 18, play with a bike along one of the main streets in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Sharron Grovner stands in the backyard of her home in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Thursday, May 16, 2013 "As we get older, we doubt what the future holds," says Grovner. "In 15, 20 years, I hope and pray that we'll still be here." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lula Walker, 65, owner of Lula's Kitchen, rests after serving lunch to a tour group as her granddaughter Stephanie Grovner, 21, helps in the kitchen in the only restaurant in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Walker is one of roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on Sapelo Island, the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. Once freed, the former slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on the island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Cornelia Bailey sits on the front porch of the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Thursday, May 16, 2013. "You can't have a Geechee Gullah Corridor without the preservation of the Geechee-Gullah people," she says. "They need to make sure the Geechee-Gullah people keep this land. This fight is not for us. The fight is for the next generation." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kyle Alexander, 20, cleans up the yard while working on the construction site of a new vacation home being built for a couple from the Northeast, in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kyle Alexander, 20, drives to his construction job working at a new vacation home being built for a couple from the Northeast, in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Alexander is one of roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, otherwise known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than other African American communities in the U.S. Once freed, the slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on the island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development is endangering one of the last remaining Geechee communities from Florida to North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Marvin Grovner, 16, plays with a basketball after returning home to the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. from school on the mainland on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Marvin Grovner, 16, plays with a basketball after returning home to the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. from school on the mainland on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Marvin Grovner, 16, plays with a basketball after returning home to the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. from school on the mainland on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Grovner is one of 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work on a plantation in the early 1800s. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A utility pole stands in a marsh at sunset on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Gibb Walker returns a fish to the water while fishing off a dock on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Tuesday, May 14, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Stephen Wilson, 68, walks onto the front porch of his home that his father built in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. "Dad built this house with his labor. Every time I put the key in the door, I remember coming home as a child saying, 'Hi, papa. Hi, mama.' It has a lot of remembrance." Wilson is one of roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, otherwise known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than other African American communities in the U.S. Once freed, the slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on the island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. Eight children catch a ferry every morning to attend school on the mainland since the last school operating on the island closed in 1978. Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development is endangering one of the last remaining Geechee communities from Florida to North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman) PART OF A 35-PICTURE ESSAY BY DAVID GOLDMAN

Eddie Wilson, 65, puts on his glasses while riding the ferry from the mainland to attend a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, otherwise known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than other African American communities in the U.S. (AP Photo/David Goldman) PART OF A 35-PICTURE ESSAY BY DAVID GOLDMAN

Kyle Alexander, 20, steps out while working at the Graball County Store, the only convenience store and one of the few businesses in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Roughly 47 residents, most of them descendants of West African slaves known as Geechee, remain on the coastal Georgia island where their ancestors were brought to work a plantation in the early 1800s. (AP Photo/David Goldman) PART OF A 35-PICTURE ESSAY BY DAVID GOLDMAN

Lula Walker, 65, right, owner of Lula's Kitchen, is helped by her granddaughter Stephanie Grovner, 21, while cleaning up after serving lunch to a tour group in the only restaurant in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. "People not going to be able to hang on to their property," says Walker. "The people don't make that kind of money on this island." Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development is endangering one of the last remaining Geechee communities from Florida to North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman) PART OF A 35-PICTURE ESSAY BY DAVID GOLDMAN

Jermarkest Wilson, 7, plays in a cart in the backyard of his home on Sapelo Island, Ga. on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Eight children catch a ferry every morning to attend school on the mainland since the last school operating on the island closed in 1978. (AP Photo/David Goldman) PART OF A 35-PICTURE ESSAY BY DAVID GOLDMAN

Photo Essay: Geechee community on Sapelo Island, Ga.

Jun. 23, 2013 @ 09:10 AM

SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Sharron Grovner stands in the backyard of her home that faces this island's fecund saltwater marshes. The setting sun gives way to the stillness of evening, and the only sound one can hear are the ocean waves lapping against the shore.

These are the same shores where generations ago, Grovner's ancestors landed as slaves brought over to work a cotton plantation. They are the same shores where today the remaining descendants still fish for their dinner. They're the shores where ferries now embark to the mainland carrying hopes of employment while leaving behind a dwindling community.

Grovner is one of only 47 residents, most of them descendants of those West African slaves known as Geechee, who remain on Sapelo Island; their ancestors were brought to work the plantation of Thomas Spaulding in the early 1800s. Isolated over time to the Southeast's barrier islands, the Geechee of Georgia and Florida, also known as Gullah in the Carolinas, have retained their African traditions more than many other African American communities in the U.S.

Once freed, the ex-slaves were able to acquire land and created settlements on Sapelo Island, of which only the tiny 464-acre Hog Hammock community still exists. Residents say a sudden tax hike, lack of jobs, and development are endangering one of the last remaining Geechee/Gullah communities dotting the coast from Florida to North Carolina.